26 February
February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 308 days remaining, 309 in leap years.
Events
- 1266 - Battle of Benevento: French forces, under Charles of Anjou, overcome a combined German-Sicilian force.
- 1797 - The Bank of England issues the first one pound note.
- 1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.
- 1848 - The second French Republic is proclaimed.
- 1863 - President of the United States Abraham Lincoln signs the National Currency Act into law.
- 1870 - In New York City, the first pneumatic-subway is opened.
- 1919 - An act of the United States Congress establishes most of the Grand Canyon as a United States National Park (see Grand Canyon National Park).
- 1929 - The Grand Teton National Park is created.
- 1935 - The Luftwaffe is reformed.
- 1952 - United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces that his nation has an atomic bomb.
- 1966 - Apollo Program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket
- 1970 - National Public Radio incorporates as a non-profit corporation.
- 1986 - After exiled President Ferdinand Marcos leaves the Philippines, Corazon Aquino is inaugurated president.
- 1986 - Robert Penn Warren is named poet laureate of the United States.
- 1987 - Iran-Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes American President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
- 1990 - The Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections.
- 1991 - Tim Berners-Lee introduces WorldWideWeb, the first web browser.
- 1991 - Gulf War: On Baghdad Radio Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
- 1993 - World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center goes off, killing 6 and injuring over a thousand.
- 1995 - United Kingdom's oldest investment banking firm, Barings PLC collapses after a securities broker, Nick Leeson, lost $1.4 billion by gambling on the Singapore Monetary Exchange Simex with derivative securities.
Births
- 1361 - Wenceslaus, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, (d. 1419)
- 1802 - Victor Hugo, poet, (d. 1885)
- 1808 - Honoré Daumier, painter, illustrator, lithograph and sculptor, (d. 1879)
- 1829 - Levi Strauss, clothing designer, (d. 1902)
- 1846 - Buffalo Bill, pioneer and officer, hunter and carny, (d. 1917)
- 1861 - King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, (d. 1948)
- 1875 - Hans Böckler, unionist and politician, (d. 1951)
- 1887 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, Baseball Hall of Famer, (d. 1950)
- 1908 - Tex Avery, cartoonist, (d. 1980)
- 1908 - Jean-Pierre Wimille, race car driver, (d. 1949)
- 1909 - King Talal, King of Jordan, (d. 1972)
- 1916 - Jackie Gleason, actor, writer, composer, comedian, (d. 1987)
- 1918 - Theodore Sturgeon, science fiction writer, (d. 1985)
- 1920 - Tony Randall, actor
- 1928 - Fats Domino, musician
- 1928 - Anatoli Filipchenko, cosmonaut
- 1932 - Johnny Cash, country music singer, (d. 2003)
- 1933 - Godfrey Cambridge, actor, (d. 1976)
- 1950 - Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand
- 1954 - Michael Bolton, singer
- 1971 - Erykah Badu, singer
- 1973 - Jenny Thompson, U.S. Olympic swimmer
- 1973 - Marshall Faulk, American football star
Deaths
- 1903 - Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor, (b. 1818)
- 1961 - King Mohammed V of Morocco, (b. 1909)
- 1969 - Levi Eshkol, Prime Minister of Israel, (b. 1895)
- 1971 - Fernandel, actor, (b. 1903)
- 1981 - Howard Hanson, composer, (b. 1896)
- 2002 - Lawrence Tierney, actor
- 2003 - Gerhard Czerwensky, economist
Holidays and observances
- Purim
- Bahá'í Faith - Day 1 of Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days) - days in the Bahá'í calendar devoted to service and gift giving.
See Also:
February 25 - February 27 - January 26 - March 26 -- listing of all days
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Referenced By
AS-201 | Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife | Chase Masterson | Daniel H. Hastings | Desmond O'Malley | Ernst August Albert Paul Otto Rupprecht Oskar Berthold Friedrich-Ferdinand Christian-Ludwig, Prince of Hanover | Ernst August of Hanover | Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland | Felix von Luckner | George V of Hanover | HMAS Cootamundra | HMAS J1 | HMAS J2 | HMAS J4 | HMAS J5 | HMAS J7 | HMS Resolution (S22) | Heinrich Faber | Home Secretary | Home Secretary of the United Kingdom | Homer Martin Adkins | Hundred Days | James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife | KDE2 | K Desktop Environment | List of JAG episodes | List of Prime Ministers of Hungary | List of individuals executed in Florida | List of individuals executed in Texas | List of individuals executed in Virginia | Louise, Duchess of Fife | Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife | Margaret of Holland | Maximilian II Emanuel, elector of Bavaria | Presidential Unit Citation | Prime Minister of Hungary | Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught | Prince Arthur of Connaught | Prince Ernst of Hanover | Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge | Prince George, Duke of Cambridge | Prince Josias of Coburg | Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife | Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife | Princess Louise Marguerite of Prussia | SA-201 | Sandinism | Sandinist National Liberation Front | Sandinista | Sandinista National Liberation Front | Sandinistas | Secretary of State for Home Affairs | Secretary of State for the Home Department | Simon Crean | Simon Findlay Crean | The Fox | The Hundred Days | The Tomorrow People | USS Admiralty Islands | USS Admiralty Islands (CVE-99) | USS Altamaha (CVE-18) | USS Argonaut (APS-1) | USS Argonaut (SF-7) | USS Argonaut (SM-1) | USS Argonaut (SS-166) | USS Argonaut (SS-475) | USS Barnes (CVE-7) | USS Block Island (CVE-8) | USS Bolinas (CVE-36) | USS Coral Sea (CV-43) | USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) | USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) | USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754) | USS Gato (SS-212) | USS Hawaii (CB-3) | USS Jupiter (AC-3) | USS Langley (CV-1) | USS Maryland (BB-46) | USS Quincy (CA-39) | USS Saury | USS Saury (SS-189) | USS South Dakota (BB-57) | USS Tang (SS-306) | USS Tennessee (BB-43) | USS Thresher (SS-200) | USS Unicorn (SS-436) | USS United States (1797) | USS United States (frigate) | USS V4 (SF-7) | USS Vancouver | USS Vancouver (LPD-2) | USS Virginia (BB-13) | USS Wisconsin (BB-64) | USS Wisconsin (BB-9) | USS Yorktown (CV-10) | USS Yorktown (CVS-10)
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